Bootlegger's Brewery Knuckle Sandwich Double IPA

Beer Name: Knuckle Sandwich
Brewery: Bootlegger's Brewery (Fullerton, CA)
ABV: 10.0%
How sold: 12 oz bottles; 22 oz bottles; kegs; on draft
Where bought: Craft Shack (San Diego, CA) ****bought online
Price: $3.49(!) for 12 oz. bottle

Date Bottled: July 29, 2016
Date Purchased: September 15, 2016
Date Opened/Drank: October 8, 2016
When brewed? Year-round beer.
IBUs: 87.8

Pairings: Bootlegger's Brewery suggests pepper jack cheese, blue cheese, cheddar cheese, gorgonzola, BBQ, salmon, and grilled meats.

What's on the Website: "Knuckle Sandwich DIPA is an American Style Double IPA. This is a beer that truly lives up to its name! Brewed with copious amounts of North American hops, this Double IPA has a colossal hop profile and an aggressive aroma. Helping round out the floral and citrus notes is a huge malt backbone that provides a great mouth feel to this heavyweight hitter." Read more here!

Where distributed: As of October 2016, Bootlegger's beers are only found in Central and Southern California. Check to see whether this beer can be found in your area!

REVIEW:

Appearance (5%): Poured clear amber into a pint glass. Frothy off-white to light tan head. 4/5

Smell (25%): Sweet malt with complementing tropical (i.e. pineapple, tangerine, stone fruit). 4.25/5

Taste (40%): Malt-forward at the start, with a touch of octane. Aftertaste has incredible tropical bitterness, stone fruit, and citrus. Extremely drinkable, unable to tell that it is 10% by the end. Nice flavor from start to finish. 4.25/5

Mouthfeel (10%): Medium-full bodied, some carbonation. Citrus bitterness lingers and leaves a dry tongue. 4/5

Overall (20%): An excellent Double IPA. This beer has gotten a lot of rave reviews on BeerAdvocate and RateBeer, although I personally thought it fell a touch short of that world-class level others may be preaching. I did appreciate the lovely tropical flavor and the drinkability this one had despite its listed 10% ABV. Might be pricey at $3.49 for a 12 oz bottle. 4.25/5

Final Weighted Rating: 4.213/5